What Makes For a Good Cell Tower Location?

Cell towers are big business for landowners who collect lease money, and they want to keep them. If you’ve got a cell tower on your property, you’re looking to add to it or sweeten the deal. The best way to entice cell phone companies to your cell tower location is to understand exactly what they’re looking for in a potential property.

With this knowledge, you have a greater chance of negotiating a better deal or convincing them to add more to your property. It also decreases the likelihood big business taking advantage of you. They say knowledge is power, and these days power is mobile.

Cell Tower Location Based on Need

Before they begin looking at a site, there has to first be a need. If you’ve already got a cell phone tower on your property, then do they need another one? Companies need cell towers in places were there currently aren’t any or limited coverage. It’s important because 46 percent of cell phone owners say they can’t live without their phone. They want service.

Cell phone traffic can overload a tower. They’ll want a second to help reduce the strain. If the area has dropped calls or poor service, then they need another tower. If your area fits these needs, then it’s on to choosing the site.

The Ideal Site

They need towers for the 2.1 billion smartphone users, but they just don’t put them anywhere. When it comes to a physical site, they want plenty of space. Usually, at a minimum, they need 1000 square feet, but can ask for as much as 10,000 square feet. They sublet the space and use it for expansion.

The site needs to be close to a main roadway for easy access. They’re not going to put a tower in the middle of nowhere unless it’s necessary. If you’re close to a major roadway, you’ve got a leg up on the competition.

This also rolls into construction costs. If hauling and constructing on the land is too costly, then they won’t select it for a site.

If you have land which sits at a higher altitude than the surrounding area, then it might be perfect for the location of cell phone towers.

Local Zoning Laws

There are no universal zoning laws for cell phone tower placement. It’s up to each city and county to develop their own laws. This is important for cell phone companies, because stringent laws and requirements make it prohibitive to put a cell tower there.

Many times farmers have land in multiple counties or city limits. If you have a cell tower in one county, then the laws for the other could be completely different. There are rules on how far they can be from homes and roads and more.

Check with the local zoning board and see what laws are on the books. If it’s a cell phone friendly area, then bring that up in negotiations. If not, then either work to reduce restrictions or consider a different area of land outside of their jurisdiction.

Take your Shot

If you’re trying to get a better deal for your current cell phone tower or convince them to put another on your property, take the time to learn about what makes a great cell phone tower location. Check out our website and learn about every aspect from locations to leasing.

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I CURRENTLY have a cell tower/roof top antenna on my propertyA tower company or wireless provider has contacted me about extension/buyoutI have been contacted within ONE month about placing a new site on my property.I have been contacted within TWO years about placing a new site on my property.I have been contacted to sell my Cellular Lease by a 3rd party aggregate.I have NOT been contacted by any company yet and I want to know how to get a cell tower on my property.

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